On Wednesday, November 6, 2013, Long Beach Police Burglary detectives served search warrants at several Long Beach residences, and recovered stolen property taken in at least one residential burglary, and detectives believe that we have property from other victims that needs to be identified.

The investigation stemmed from a routine traffic stop on October 21, 2013, in the area of Pacific Coast Highway and Cherry Avenue. When the officer learned the driver was unlicensed, he began preparing to impound the vehicle. Conducting an inventory search of the vehicle, the officer located several computers in the vehicle that were ultimately determined to have been stolen from a Long Beach residence earlier in the day.

At that time, the driver, identified as 19-year-old Trayon Gaston of Long Beach, was arrested for receiving stolen property. Three other occupants in the vehicle were released at the scene.

Burglary detectives continued with the investigation, which ultimately led to the service of search warrants on 11/6/13 at four Long Beach residences, which are located as follows:

1700 block of Orizaba Avenue

1500 block of E. 5th Street

2600 block of Magnolia Avenue

1900 block of Pine Avenue

As a result of the search warrants, five individuals were taken into custody, and an assortment of property was recovered that included nine firearms, including one assault rifle, cash, marijuana, electronics, and jewelry, including several high-end watches. Four of the recovered guns have all been identified as loss from one Long Beach burglary; however, the owner(s) of other property have yet to be identified. The five suspects were booked on various charges that ranged from residential burglary to possession of an illegal assault weapon, and are as follows:

On Thursday, November 7, 2013, the case relating to the juvenile defendants will be presented to the Juvenile Branch of the Los Angeles County District Attorney Office for filing consideration, and Friday, November 8, 2013, detectives will be presenting the case relating to the adult defendants to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.

Detectives believe these individuals may have also been committing burglaries outside of Long Beach. Anyone who believes their property may have been recovered during this operation should contact the Long Beach Police Burglary Detail at (562) 570-7353. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), texting TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Below are some burglary prevention tips the L.B.P.D. is encourages the community to practice, which may reduce the chances of homes and garages from being targeted:

Keep your doors and windows locked at all times

Meet your neighbors, this makes it easier to recognize a person that doesn’t belong, and neighbors that communicate are more likely to look out for one another

Report loiterers – loitering is often a precursor activity for burglars, enabling them to case the area

Immediately report suspicious activity by calling 9-1-1, and be sure to get a good description of any subjects or vehicles

Keeps shrubbery trimmed down around your home to prevent hiding places

Be sure your house number is visible from the street so Police or emergency personnel can locate your residence quickly

Keep porch lights on at night – this makes any suspicious persons visible, as well as your house number

When away for extended periods, make sure your home has the “lived in” look – have lights on timers, ask a neighbor to park in your driveway, make arrangements for newspapers, mail, and fliers that may accumulate

Install motion sensor lighting around your property, including on garages that may face alleyways

Keep garage doors locked and closed at all times; open doors allow potential suspects to take inventory of the contents of your garage